The big rumor circling around the internet is that Lucasarts (the software developer for Star Wars games) is going to announce a reboot of the X-wing/TIE Fighter space sim series. Anyone who has dabbled in the space sim genre knows that TIE Fighter is one of the best, if not THE best space sim ever made.
I was searching for some more info on the rumors this afternoon, when I found this fantastic op-ed piece. As the author notes, there is no shortage of cultural metaphors and analogies referring to the American Empire past and present. However, the similarities between the TIE Fighter world and the post-9/11 world are uncanny. Media, even emergent media like video games, has a stunning ability to alter perspectives in truly brutal fashion. Blasting the good guys in X-wings out of the sky feels like the right thing to do at every turn.
As a just a game, TIE Fighter is immensely fun. As a specimen of how media can drastically affect the way we think and act, it is a powerful, if not slightly disturbing, experience.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
That's an interesting article. It's rather eerie. The media needs to exercise more . . . responsibility. Seriously, the whole "death panels" thing is an embarrassment that makes me weep for America.
If kids are allowed to play as bad guys in a free-expression medium such as video games, the terrorists win.
I remember I wrote a college paper at WMU about all the American empire symbols in "Star Wars" it was pretty amazing how much is there.
Post a Comment